Tobacco conveying and feeding



April 29, 1941. c. F. RANDOLPH TOBACCO CONVEYING AND FEEDING 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 7. 1955 INVENTOR TTORNEY April 29, 1941., cRANDOLPH 2,239,858

TOBACCO CONVEYING MID FEEDING Filed Sept. 7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 29, 194i UNITED STATESVPATENT OFFICE"TOBACCO CONVEYHJG AND FEEDING Clifford F. Randolph, Brooklyn, N. Y.,assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of NewJersey Application September 7, 1935, Serial N 0. 39,563

8 Claims. 501. 131-409) This invention relates to tobacco conveying andfeeding, more particularly to a process and apparatus; and the inventionmay be used for conveying and evenly spreading tobacco or otherdisintegrated material in cigarette machine feeds,

scrap cigar machines, or other fields.

The main object of the invention is to improve the operation ofcigarette tobacco feeds by replacing the apron whereon the sheet ofshredded tobacco is advanced to the picker roll to be delivered throughthe chute on to the cigarette wrapper web with a vibrating tray. Thelatter may be inclined at any angle suitable for the nature of thematerial being handled, or it may be arranged horizontally if desired.The rapid vibration of the tray obliquely will cause the sheet oftobacco to flow uphill or down depending on the direction of inclinationof the tray, in the present embodiment of the invention the tobaccoflowing uphill by a sort of hopping action. This rapid agitation of thetobacco tends to spread the tobacco evenly and fill holes or low placesin the sheet, and the same is one of th main advantages derived from theinvention.

According to another concept of the invention, the apron of thecigarette machine feed may be suitably vibrated to assure uniformity ofthe tobacco sheet thereon, and the same forms still another object ofthe invention. Accordingly, a further object of the invention istoprovide mechanism for vibrating the operating run of said apron, andto this end the said operating run may be vibrated transversely by thevibrator head of a vibrator unit of well known type; and

the said head may be provided with cross-bars,

if desired, engaging the under face of said run at intervals therealong;or the apron may be vibrated by a rotating polygonal cross-bar, or aseries of such cross-bars, engaging the under face of the said operatingrun. With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view,the invention consists in certain constructions and combinationshereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in theclaims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification andin which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cigarette machine feed wherein the apronhas been replaced by a vibrating tray equipped with a vibrator unit;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of one form of vibrator'unit suitable for thepresent invention Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of anotherembodiment of the invention showing the vibrator head of a vibrator unitarranged to vibrate the apron of the cigarette machine feed;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the same on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of vibrator head foractuating the apron; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a rotary polygonal bar for vibrating theapron in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention.

Generally stated, in the particular embodiments herein illustrated, alayer of the material to be handled is deposited on a planar surfacewhich is vibrated at a frequency sufficient to assure uniformity of thelayer. The apparatus for carrying the process of this invention intoeffect may include, as herein illustrated, a vibrating surface on whichshredded tobacco or other disintegrated material is deposited, thetobacco being thus spread evenly thereon and advanced to mechanism forshowering the tobacco on to a traveling wrapper web. In the bestconstructions contemplated the vibrating surface may constitute theupper run of the apron. of a cigarette machine tobacco feed, or anobliquely vibrating tray replacing said apron.

The process and apparatus of this invention may be widely varied for thespecific methods and structures selected to illustrate the invention arebut a few of the many possible concrete embodiments of the same. Theinvention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the details of theapparatus described herein, nor to the particular embodiments chosen asillustrative of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the mass of tobacco in the hopperIn is advanced toward the rotary carded feed drum I2 which picks up asheet of tobacco therefrom. A rotary carded reiuser drum l3 removes thesurplus tobacco from the sheet thus formed on the feed drum and returnsthe same to the tobacco supply. The tobacco in the corrected sheet isremoved from the feed drum by the winnower l4 and falls on to animperforate (upwardly inclined) tray l5, which is shown upwardlyinclined at a suitable acute angle, whereon the tobacco collects to forma sheet.

The tray is supported on a bracket [6 connected to a Vibrator unit ofthe well known Jeffrey- Traylor type shown in the Traylor Patent1,772,596, granted August 12, 1930. This unit may consist of a centerclamp I! which extends obliquely to and carries the bracket l6 and isfastened about the mid-section of a group of vibrator bars 2|. The bars2| are securely clamped at their ends in the vibrator frame 22 set onbed 23 but are free to flex at their centers. The vibrator unit alsoincludes a vibrating motor consisting of an electromagnet or stator 18provided with coils I9, and a reciprocating armature 2U fastened to thecenter clamp or otherwise connected to the mid-section of the vibratorbars. When an alternating current, or a direct current superimposed onthe alternating current, is impressed on the coils of the stator thevibrator bars will be periodically flexed due to the successiveattraction of the armature toward the stator and release of the armaturewith each interruption or change of the current. In this: manner thetray is vibrated obliquely at a frequency such that the sheet of tobaccowill be spread evenly and the inertia of the disintegrated particleswill cause the material to fiow uphill with a sort of hopping action, asindicated by the dotted arrows in Fig. 1. The particular frequencyrequired will of course depend on the nature of the material beinghandled, but with shredded tobacco a (ill-cycle alternating current willbe ample.

As stated above, the oblique vibration of the tray feeds the tobaccouphill on to the carded pin r011 25 which carries the tobacco under thepressure roll 24 which helps to guide the tobacco on to and over theconcave 30 to the picker roll 26 which is enclosed by the concave 3|.The picker roll removes the tobacco from the pin roll and showers itthrough the chute 2'! on to the wrapper web P traveling through thetrough 28 of well known construction provided with side bars 29.

While the apron of the cigarette machine feed may be replaced by avibrating tray as shown in Fig. 1, according to other embodiments of theinvention the apron may be retained and provided with a vibrator asillustrated in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6. The construction of the vibratorunit required for this purpose may be similar to that shown in Figs. 1and 2, and the center clamp l1 thereof may carry a vibrator head 36provided with longitudinal strips 33 engaging the under face of theupper run of the apron 32 to vibrate the same by periodically liftingthe same slightly. The tobacco deposited on the upper run of the apron32 by a feed drum (not shown) collects thereon to form a'sheet which isspread evenly by the operation of the vibrator head to fill holes andlow places therein. The vibrator head may be hollowed out, as in Fig. 5,to receive the lower run of the apron or may have any other desirable orsuitable configuration. As shown in Fig. 3. the apron carries thetobacco sheet on to the pin roll 25 from which it is removed by a pickerroll 26 and showered through the chute 21 on to the wrapper web (notshown).

According to a modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 5, thelongitudinal strips on the upper face of the vibrator head may beprovided with cross-bars 35 engaging the apron at the under face of itsupper run at intervals therealong. With this construction the, apron maybe vibrated to a greater extent and a greater uniformity of the tobaccosheet may be attained.

In the embodiment of the invention fragmentarily illustrated in Fig. 6,a cross-bar of polygonal cross-section is mounted on a cross-shaft ilcarrying a sprocket 42 which is rapidly driven from the cigarettemachine drive through a chain 43, each face of the cross-barsuccessively engaging the under face of the operating run of apron 32.Preferably a set of bars 40 will be employed, and by reason of theirpolygonal configuration the belt 32 will be vibrated very rapidly toassure uniformity of the tobacco sheet.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cigarette machine tobacco feed, the combination with an inclinedtray, of means for depositing shredded tobacco upon said tray, a devicefor vibrating said tray obliquely relative to the plane of the tray,whereby the tobacco deposited thereon will form a uniform sheet and beconveyed therealong, and means arranged to receive the tobacco from saidtray and shower the same on to a traveling web for formation into acigarette filler.

2. The process of forming a uniform mat of shredded tobacco andconveying the same, comprising continuously depositing shredded tobaccoupon a planar surface, continuously vibrating said surface obliquelyrelative to the plane of said surface at a frequency such that theinertia of the disintegrated particles deposited thereon will cause themto form a uniform mat thereon and the mat so formed will be advancedalong said surface toward one end thereof with a hopping action, andcontinuously advancing and showering said mat on to a traveling wrapperweb.

3. In a cigarette machine tobacco feed, the combination with. arevolving roll, of an inclined imperforate surface arranged adjacentsaid roll to support a mass of shredded tobacco, a carded feed drumrotating in a source of supply of shredded tobacco to pick up a carpetof tobacco therefrom, a member for removing the tobacco from said drumand delivering it to said surface and mechanism for continuouslyvibrating said surface to form a uniform sheet of tobacco and feed thesame on to said roll, a concave surrounding a portion of said rolladjacent the point of delivery of tobacco thereto, and a picker forremoving the tobacco from the sheet on said roll as it emerges from theconcave.

4. The combination with a vibratory vertically inclined tray adapted tosupport a mass of disintegrated tobacco, of an electromagnetic devicefor vibrating said tray obliquely relative to the plane of the tray at afrequency such that a uniform layer of tobacco will be formed thereonand fed off one end of said tray, members arranged to admit tobacco fromsaid vibratory tray and confine the same, and mechanism arranged toreceive tobacco from said members and enclose the same in a wrapper andform tobacco articles of the desired kind and a device for separatingportions from the mass of tobacco confined by said members anddelivering them to said mechanism.

5. In a machine for making smoking articles, the combination with ahopper holding a bulk source of supply of disintegrated tobacco, of avibrating table arranged to receive tobacco from said supply, of meansfor imparting a diagonal vibrating movement to said table in a directionoblique to the plane of the table and toward one edge thereof to spreadtobacco delivered there into a layer of uniform thickness and deliverthe same in a substantially uniform stream over said edge, means forforming a filler of said tobacco for making said smoking article, adevice for directing the tobacco fed over said edge to said fillerforming means, and means coacting with said hopper to feed tobaccotherefrom to said table at a portion thereof remote from said edge. 6.In a tobacco feed for cigarette machines, the combination with anelongated feed chute,

of a tobacco feed roll overlying said chute, a picker roll for pickingtobacco from said feed roll into said chute, a relatively wide plateproviding a tobacco supporting and conveying surface having its forwardedge arranged to deliver tobacco against said feed roll, said edgeextending longitudinally along the axis of said feed roll, a maintobacco feed roll for feeding tobacco from a source of supply onto therear end of said plate, a picker roll for picking tobacco from said feedroll and showering it onto the rear portion of said plate, and means forvibrating said plate at an oblique forwardly inclined angle with respectto the surface of the plate to produce a positive forward hopping actionof the tobacco showered on said plate, whereby the tobacco is positivelyfed by said plate against said roll and is uniformly distributed on saidplate by the vibrating action thereof, said means for vibrating theplate comprising a weighty member, an armature and alternating currentmagnet constituting vibrator elements and producing relative vibrationbetween said armature and the alternating current magnet, meansconnecting one of said elements to the weighty member, and mechanismconnecting the'other to said plate.

'7. In a tobacco feed for cigarette machines, the combination with anelongated feed chute, of a tobacco feed roll overlying said chute, apicker roll for picking tobacco from said feed roll into said chute, arelatively Wide plate providing a tobacco conveying surface having itsforward edge arranged to deliver tobacco against said feed roll, saidedge extending longitudinally along the axis of said feed roll, a maintobacco feed roll for feeding tobacco from a source of supply onto therear end of said plate, a picker roll for picking tobacco from said feedroll and showering it onto the rear portion of said plate, and means forvibrating said plate at an oblique forwardly inclined angle with respectto the surface of the plate to produce a positive forward hopping actionof the tobacco showered on said plate, whereby the tobacco is positivelyfed by said plate against said roll and is uniformly distributed on saidplate by the vibrating action thereof, said means for vibrating theplate comprising a weighty member, an armature and alternating currentmagnet constituting vibrator elements and producing relative vibrationbetween said armature and the alternating current magnet, meansconnecting one of said elements to the weighty member, and mechanismconnecting the other to said plate, said plate being upwardly directedfrom rear to front.

8. In a cigarette machine tobacco feed, the combination with a revolvingcarded roll, of a vertically inclined imperforate tray arranged adjacentsaid roll to support a mass of shredded tobacco, a carded feed drumrotating in a source of supply of shredded tobacco to pick up a carpetof tobacco therefrom, a member for removing the tobacco from said drum,and delivering it to said tray, and mechanism for continuously vibratingsaid tray obliquely relative to the plane of the tray toward and awayfrom said roll to form a sheet of uniform thickness and feed the sameonto said roll and thereby uniformly fill the carding thereof.

CLIFFORD F. RANDOLPH.

